


Promises to Keep

by pherryt



Series: Cosmic Forces [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Coda 13.04, Cosmic Forces, Genderless Character, Someones still not getting his sleep, they/them pronouns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 19:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12689100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pherryt/pseuds/pherryt
Summary: Castiel is no longer in the Empty, so that means all cosmic entities can fall back asleep now, right?Wait...what was that noise?





	Promises to Keep

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThayerKerbasy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThayerKerbasy/gifts).



> When I wrote the other part, i forgot that our friendly neighborhood Cas look a like had said Angels AND Demons came to sleep in the Empty.
> 
> when i remembered, i was kicking myself for having forgotten. So now i wrote a Coda to my Coda (can you do that?) , a bonus scene if you will. 
> 
> Also. Titles are hard. I wanted to keep the theme from the last title, but the rest of the nursery rhyme/prayer did make sense as titles (though i was tempted to go with "My Soul to Keep" - which DID lead to the current title). I was also tempted by "All Good Little Boys and Girls" but that just didn't work for me either. I wanted to keep it simple.

The footsteps echoing in the Empty finally faded away as the last angel departed the empty, the throbbing pain their wakefulness had caused ebbing away. _Finally,_ they could sleep. The illusion of floor dropped away leaving them to the comforting, floating feeling they had longed for as they snuggled down deeper into a dreamless sleep. The form they had been wearing was dissipating now, slowly, as their mind drifted off, ready for the blankness and calm.

A sound thudded and echoed and jolted through them. Ripples shivering up the spine that hadn’t yet gone. Blinking their eyes – _dammit! Why did they still have eyes_? Why had their form not yet collapsed as it should have?  - they ground their teeth together (Which, come to think of it, was rather satisfying) and determined to ignore the sound.

Pain flared, sharp and bright. But it was nothing. Just something left over from Castiel’s disturbance. It had to be. Maybe there was a straggler that hadn’t yet left? They were reaching now, unwilling to come completely awake again, even as the pain started to increase once more.

They rolled over and covered their ears (not that that would help, but it made them feel a little better).

The thudding sound grew louder and faster and then was joined by other sounds, more insistent ones, the pain of it making it impossible for them to even pretend to sleep any longer.

Their eyes popped open and they sat up.

It wasn’t the same type of disturbance as the angels’ had been. It wasn’t as violent and confused. It was, instead, calm. More of an insistent “I’m here” itch that needed to be scratched.

Albeit a painful itch, but an itch none the less.

The floor had returned, which was not a good sign in the least, but at least all was still as black and empty as it had been before.

Looking around with more than their eyes, they groaned and stood. They didn’t care about the level of disturbance, only that they had been – once more – disturbed. And this upset them greatly. The longer it stayed awake, the deeper that painful itch would dig. Already, they could feel it scratching at their mental walls.

“Why the _fuck_ are you _awake_?” they yelled. Their words echoed back and around, bringing with them the object of their annoyance.

The black suited demon stood, unperturbed, looking about curiously. “Unsettling. Wish _I’d_ thought of that. Their puny little human minds would have imploded. Hmm…” the demon paused and shook his head. “On second thought, never mind. That would have been way too messy to deal with. And a waste of a perfectly good – or bad, depending on your point of view – human soul.”

They clenched their fists and stalked toward the demon, a growl rising to their lips. “Why. Are. You. Awake?”

“Good question. I was perfectly happy to be sleeping. Finally, some peace and quiet. No more demons bla-bla-blahing me to death - which, as I’m technically already dead, quite a feat that, I assure you. No more power struggles for a throne I didn’t really want to keep but kept because I really didn’t like the alternatives. No more having to save the world and be one of the good guys – especially when it certainly didn’t garner me any points with the Winchesters –“

 

“Winchesters!” They growled, throwing their hands up in the air. “Winchesters! Again!”

The demon raised an eyebrow. “I take it you’ve met?”

“No. And I don’t want to. If there anything as annoying as Castiel’s memories made them out to be, I’d never get any sleep again. Speaking of – “ they looked at the demon in confusion. He didn’t seem to care that he was in the Empty and not on Earth. He wasn’t begging to go back ‘home’ and it sounded like he would be perfectly happy to just lay down and sleep.

So why wasn’t he?

“So, why _are_ you wearing the form of our poor, love sick Castiel again? And who exactly _are_ you?” the demon asked calmly.

They glared at the demon – Crowley, Castiel’s memories supplied. “This is merely a convenience,” they said, plucking at the coat. The action was reminiscent of the angel and they scowled again. “An annoying necessity when dealing with the fragile minds of lesser beings such as you.”

“Name’s Crowley, if you must. And there’s no need for insults here, darling,” Crowley answered.

“Yes, I know who you are. I’ve been in the angel’s mind, such as it was. You’ve played a surprisingly big part in those memories after that… _Dean_. I must say, you _are_ an odd one, for a demon. You have compassion, emotions others of your kind are incapable of. You’re rather like Castiel in that regard.” They paused, musing, “Maybe that’s why the two of you woke. Maybe you’re too human for the Empty. Perhaps you were infected by those  _Winchesters_.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Isn’t it?”

Crowley shrugged. “Depends on your point of view, I suppose. I know my demons thought it was. But I felt more  _alive_ with them than…” he shook his head. “I need a drink.” Crowley snapped his fingers and they found themselves – despite the pain of his presence -  amused at the stunned, blinking look on the demons face.

They snorted at the demon’s confusion. “What did you think  _you_  could do in  _here_? You don’t even have any grace, much less the substance needed to affect any changes here –  _you’re just a tainted human soul_.”

“Oh darling, I’m so much more than that.” Crowley smiled and they shivered. This demon wasn’t anything like they’d expected. It, like the angel, broke all the rules they were accustomed to. What had God been doing out there among his creations?

“Regardless, you and that angel may be stubborn enough to will up a floor but beyond that – “ A glass appeared in the demons hands and it was their turn to blink in stunned surprise.

“I’m really stubborn. And I really wanted a drink. I usually get what I want.” Crowley raised the glass to his lips and smirked.

“And I suppose you want out of here?” they sneered at Crowley. This was familiar ground (regardless of the fact that they had only ever had one being trying to talk their way out of the Empty. It had happened. It had set a precedent they didn’t like. They refused to let it happen again.

“Oh no, I’m perfectly content to stay. I already told you, I’m done. I’m out.” Crowley sipped at his drink. A potent reminder that they were losing control of the Empty. What was going on?

“Then if it’s all the same to you _, go back to sleep_! If  _you’re_  awake, then  _I’m_  awake and I really,  _really_  don’t like being awake.” They punctuated their words with sharp gestures. The longer they were awake, the more their consciousness itched, the harsher the pain grew. All they wanted, all they needed was to sleep. They suspected that if they slept all of eternity away it still wouldn’t be enough sleep, and yet they were losing precious amounts of it by all these sudden interruptions.

“Would if I could, but…” Crowley shrugged, unconcerned. “So, what do you do for fun around here?”

“It’s going to be one of those millennia…” they growled, pinching their nose. Stalking away, they paused and listened, digging deep.

The angels had all gone, Death had taken them away. Nothing else stirred in the Empty. Nothing except for the two of them. They turned to stare at the demon who continued simply to stare back, drink in hand, freshly filled.

Not a good sign.

The demon may think he was content to stay here, but if he didn’t sleep he would drive them crazy. They suspected Crowley might have unfinished business on Earth that was keeping him from being lulled back to sleep, just the same as Castiel. The supposition that the demon’s ability to sleep was affected by the infection of human emotions was probably not far off either.

There was really only one way to fix things.

Sighing in annoyance and rolling their eyes in a movement they had learned from the angel – another oddly satisfying motion, showing how annoyed and put out they were about the whole situation to anyone watching – they turned and stalked back to the demon, each echoing step sending more ripples of pain through them. They needed this over and done with, fast.

“There’s only one way I’ll ever get any peace around here again,” they growled at the demon. Crowley’s eyes widened just a fraction as their hand came up and smacked him in the chest. There was a painful explosion of light, but when it was gone, all was silent again.

They sighed in relief. They stood, waiting…listening.

The floor ebbed away, and the form they took disintegrated as they finally slipped back under into their much coveted, dreamless sleep. The pain receded drastically nearly as soon as they’d shoved Crowley out of the Empty. They cared not about what happened to Crowley now. They’d tossed him out right after Castiel. It was more trouble than it was worth to keep the demon if he wouldn’t sleep. Just as it would have been to keep the angel.

And while they were finally drifting off happily, Crowley found himself in a field, a trail of recently crushed plant life threading away from him. He slowly stood, looked around and groaned. It was all too clear where he was. He’d thought it was finally all over, but here he was, back on Earth, still a demon, and probably still on the Winchesters hit list (but then, that was nothing new, was it?).

“Oh, bloody hell,” he sighed, dusting off his coat, giving it an appreciative look as he realized it was different than he’d had before. Just a little bit more fashionable than he’d already been wearing. He smoothed it down and straightened it out.

Well, he supposed, if he were back on Earth, he should get to work.

After all, he had a promise to keep.


End file.
